By default, remote
command execution is disabled on an
ESXi host, and
you cannot log in to the host by using a remote shell. You can enable remote
command execution from the direct console or from the
vSphere Web
Client.

Prerequisites

Procedure

1

At the direct
console of the
ESXi host,
press F2 and provide credentials when prompted.

2

Scroll to
Troubleshooting
Options and press Enter.

3

Choose
Enable
SSH and press Enter.

On the
left,
Enable
SSH changes to
Disable
SSH. On the right,
SSH is
Disabled changes to
SSH is
Enabled.

4

Press Esc until you
return to the main direct console menu.

What to do next

After you have enabled SSH,
you can log in to the
ESXi Shell
remotely and run
ESXi Shell
commands.